Actschapter 12
25 verses · Luke · about AD 62 · Acts
About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.
Introduction
Luke, Acts, Acts Overview.
Luke tells this chapter as the close of the church's years in Jerusalem, before his story follows Paul. He wrote it for believers who knew what it was to have their leaders taken from them. The chapter sets a king who wants the crowd's favour against a church that has only prayer. It moves like a told story, with a night escape, a knock at a gate and a scene at court. Listen for the two appearances of the angel of the Lord and what each one does. Read the short verse near the end as Luke's own verdict on the whole.
Context
- Who
- Theophilus and Gentile readers, seeing a king strike the church and not survive the year.
- What
- The killing of James, the arrest and rescue of Peter at Passover, and the death of Herod Agrippa I at Caesarea.
- Where
- Jerusalem, in Herod's prison and at the house of Mary the mother of John Mark, then Caesarea on the coast.
- When
- Passover of AD 43 or 44, and Herod's death at Caesarea in AD 44, one of the firmest dates in Acts.
- Why
- To show that the word of God kept spreading when a king struck at the apostles, and that God judged the king who accepted honour as a god.
Historical context
Herod Agrippa I was a grandson of Herod the Great who had grown up in Rome among the imperial family and was handed the whole of his grandfather's kingdom by the emperors he had befriended. He courted Jewish opinion carefully, keeping the Law in public, which is exactly why executing a Christian leader was good politics for him.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
James was killed with the sword, beheading, a swifter and more Roman death than stoning. He is the first of the twelve to die, and Luke gives it a single sentence.
Peter is guarded by four squads of four soldiers, one squad per watch of the night, with two men chained to him. Under Roman practice a guard who lost a prisoner faced the prisoner's punishment, which explains the executions ordered when he is found gone.
Agrippa's death at Caesarea is described independently by Josephus, who says the king appeared in a robe of silver that flashed in the morning sun, that flatterers hailed him as a god, and that he was seized with pain and died days later. The Tyre and Sidon delegation in Luke's account came because those coastal cities depended on grain from Agrippa's territory.
Significance
The first readers were watching two kinds of power. One apostle dies, another walks free, and the church that is praying for Peter cannot believe it when he knocks, an honest, almost comic detail that Luke keeps in.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The chapter's verdict is in its last lines. The king who accepted worship is struck down; the word of God grows and multiplies. That contrast was meant to steady believers living under rulers who could kill them.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
James Killed, Peter Chained, the Church Praying
Acts 12:1-3
King Herod reached out to harm: This is Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great, who reached out to harm some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword, the cup Jesus foretold in Mark 10:39.
Acts 12:1
“Now about that time - That is, during the time that the famine existed, or the time when Barnabas and Saul went up to Jerusalem. This was probably about the fifth or sixth year of the reign of Claudius, not far from 47 ad. Herod the king - This was Herod Agrippa. The Syriac so renders it expressly, and the chronology requires us so to understand it. He was a grandson of Herod the Great, and one of the sons of Aristobulus, whom Herod put to death (Josephus, Antiq., 18, 5).”
3 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Acts 12:1
“About that time - So wisely did God mix rest and persecution in due time and measure succeeding each other. Herod - Agrippa; the latter was his Roman, the former his Syrian name. He was the grandson of Herod the Great, nephew to Herod Antipas, who beheaded John the Baptist; brother to Herodias, and father to that Agrippa before whom St. Paul afterward made his defense.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 12:1
“He at this time ruled over all his father's dominions. PALEY has remarked the accuracy of the historian here. For thirty years before this there was no king at Jerusalem exercising supreme authority over Judea, nor was there ever afterwards, save during the three last years of Herod's life, within which the transactions occurred.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 12:1
“He was not only (as Herod Antipas was) tetrarch of Galilee, but had also the government of Judea committed to him by Claudius the emperor, and resided most at Jerusalem, where he was at this time.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
put to death with the sword: Death by the sword meant beheading. Eusebius, Church History 2.9, keeps Clement of Alexandria's account that the man who brought James to trial believed and was beheaded beside him. Luke gives the apostle's death one verse and Peter's rescue most of the chapter.
Acts 12:2
“And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. This was James, the son of Zebedee, whom our Lord told, that he should be baptized with the baptism he was baptized with, Mat 20:22 meaning the baptism of martyrdom; and he was the first martyr among the apostles: the death he was put to was one of the four capital punishments among the Jews, and was reckoned by them the most disgraceful of them all, and was inflicted upon deceivers of the people; and such an one James was thought to be (e). (e) Misn. Sanhedrin, c.”
3 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:2
“He killed James the brother of John with the sword - This was James the greater, son of Zebedee, and must be distinguished from James the less, son of Alpheus. This latter was put to death by Ananias the high priest, during the reign of Nero. This James with his brother John were those who requested to sit on the right and left hand of our Lord, see Mat 20:23; and our Lord’s prediction was now fulfilled in one of them, who by his martyrdom drank of our Lord’s cup, and was baptized with his baptism.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 12:2
“That Peter is struck, that Stephen is overwhelmed by stones, that James is slain as is a victim at the altar, that Paul is beheaded has been written in their own blood.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Scorpiacepatristic
Acts 12:2
“He was one of those sons of Zebedee whom Christ told that they should drink of the cup that he was to drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that he was to be baptized with, Matt. xx. And now those words of Christ were made good in him; but it was in order to his sitting at Christ's right hand; for if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
seeing that this pleased the Jews: Josephus, Antiquities 19.7.3, describes Agrippa as living mostly at Jerusalem and keeping the customs of his nation with care. Peter is seized at the same feast at which Jesus was arrested, named at Luke 22:1. Luke marks the season twice.
Acts 12:3
“And because he saw that it pleased the Jews - This was the principle on which he acted. It was not from a sense of right; it was not to do justice, and to protect the innocent; it was not to discharge the appropriate duties of a magistrate and a king, but it was to promote his own popularity. It is probable that Agrippa would have acted in this way in any circumstances.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 12:3
“Again the excessive scrupulousness of the Jews is revealed: they did not object to killing him, but they objected to doing it at such a time.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 12:4-5
He arrested him: Peter is guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, sixteen men in four watches. Against that guard Luke sets one thing: the church was fervently praying to God for him.
Acts 12:4
“Four quaternions of soldiers - That is, sixteen, or four companies of four men each, who had the care of the prison, each company taking in turn one of the four watches of the night. Intending after Easter to bring him forth - Μετα το πασχα, After the passover. Perhaps there never was a more unhappy, not to say absurd, translation than that in our text.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the church was fervently praying to God: The word fervently is the one Luke used of Jesus praying in Gethsemane at Luke 22:44. It pictures prayer stretched out at full strength. Peter uses the same word for love at 1 Peter 1:22.
Acts 12:5
“But prayer was made - The church was apprised of his imprisonment and danger, and had no resource but to apply to God by prayer. In scenes of danger there is no other refuge; and the result shows that even in most discouraging circumstances God can hear prayer. Nothing scarcely could appear more hopeless than the idea of rescuing Peter out of the hands of Herod, and out of the prison, and out of the custody of sixteen men, by prayer. But the prayer of faith Was prevalent with God. Without ceasing - Intense, steady, ardent prayer.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:5
“Prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him. They did not seem to be concerned whether Herod should die or not. They did not pray that they might escape Peter's fate.”
Leonard Ravenhill · Faith Laughs at ImpossibilitiesBritish Wesleyan-Holiness
Acts 12:5
“James must be offered upon the sacrifice and service of their faith, and therefore prayer for him is restrained and prevented; but Peter must be continued to them, and therefore prayer for him is stirred up, and time is given them for it, by Herod's putting off the prosecution.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Chains Fall Off, and Rhoda Leaves Him at the Gate
Acts 12:6-8
bound with two chains: Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, at rest on the eve of his trial. At the angel's touch the chains fell off his wrists, and the orders that follow are ordinary and unhurried, a rescue without haste.
Acts 12:6
“Sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains - Two soldiers guarded his person; his right hand being bound to the left hand of one, and his left hand bound to the right hand of the other. This was the Roman method of guarding their prisoners, and appears to be what is intimated in the text.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 12:6
“And when Herod would have brought him forth--"was going to bring him forth." the same night--but a few hours before the intended execution. Thus long were the disciples kept waiting; their prayers apparently unavailing, and their faith, as would seem from the sequel, waxing feeble. Such, however, is the law of God's procedure (De 32:36 and see on Joh 21:3).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared: An angel of the Lord opened the prison doors for the apostles at 5:19, and here the same rescue comes to Peter alone. Light attends the angel as it did for the shepherds at Luke 2:9. Sixteen soldiers are matched by one messenger.
Acts 12:7
“And, behold, the angel of the Lord - See the notes on Act 5:19. Came upon him - Greek: was present with him; stood near him ἐπέστη epestē. And a light shined in the prison - Many have supposed that this was lightning. But light, and splendor, and shining apparel are commonly represented as the accompaniments of the heavenly beings when they visit the earth, Luk 2:9; Luk 24:4; compare Mar 9:3. It is highly probable that this light was discerned only by Peter; and it would be to him an undoubted proof of the divine interposition in his behalf.”
The angel's commands come in Passover week and match the dress of Exodus 12:11, cloak wrapped and sandals on for the road. Gill reads them as a traveller's preparation. Peter follows the angel out ready to walk.
Acts 12:8
“Gird thyself - It seems Peter had put off the principal part of his clothes, that he might sleep with more comfort. His resuming all that he had thrown off was a proof that every thing had been done leisurely. There was no evidence of any hurry; nor of any design to elude justice, or even to avoid meeting his accusers in any legal way. It appears that the two soldiers were overwhelmed by a deep sleep, which fell upon them from God.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 12:9-10
So Peter followed him out: Peter was unaware that the angel's work was real, thinking he was only seeing a vision, the word used of his trance in 10:17. The iron gate leading to the city opened for them by itself, with no human hand named.
Acts 12:9
“And wist not - Knew not. That it was true - That it was real. But thought he saw a vision - He supposed that it was a representation made to his mind similar to what he had seen before. Compare Act 10:11-12. It was so astonishing, so unexpected, so wonderful, that he could not realize that it was true.”
They passed the first and second guards: Codex Bezae adds that they went down the seven steps. The detail reads like local memory of the prison. Opened by itself renders the word Mark 4:28 uses of soil bearing grain unaided.
Acts 12:10
“The first and second ward - At each of which doubtless was a guard of soldiers. The gate opened of its own accord - Without either Peter or the angel touching it.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 12:10
“The first and - second ward - It is supposed that ancient Jerusalem was surrounded by three walls: if so, then passing through the gates of these three walls successively is possibly what is meant by the expression in the text. The prison in which he was confined might have been that which was at the outer wall. Iron gate - This was in the innermost wall of the three, and was strongly plated over with iron, for the greater security. In the east, the gates are often thus secured to the present day.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Then Peter came to himself: Peter came to himself and knew for sure that the Lord had sent His angel and rescued him from Herod’s grasp. His certainty comes after the rescue, and Luke leaves that order as it happened.
Acts 12:11
“And when Peter was come to himself - This expression naturally means, when he had overcome bas amazement and astonishment at the unexpected deliverance, so as to be capable of reflection. He had been amazed by the whole transaction. He thought it was a vision: and in the suddenness and rapidity with which it was done, he had no time for cool reflection. The events of divine providence often overwhelm and confound us; and such are their suddenness, and rapidity, and unexpected character in their development as to prevent calm and collected reflection. Of a surety - Certainly, surely.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:11
“Now, he says, I knew, "now I see truly," and not then. It was pleasing to the Angel that Peter's heart be filled with joy suddenly and that he understand what had happened only after the deliverance.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 12:11
“Thus souls who are delivered out of a spiritual bondage are not at first aware what God has wrought in them. Many have the truth of grace that want the evidence of it. They are questioning whether there be indeed this change wrought in them, or whether they have not been all this while in a dream.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 12:12-14
the house of Mary the mother of John: Peter goes to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter is left standing outside, and the church is praying for what it cannot yet believe has happened.
Acts 12:12
“And when he had considered - When he had weighed every thing, and was fully satisfied of the Divine interposition, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, the author of the Gospel, where it appears many were gathered together making prayer and supplication, and probably for Peter’s release.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 12:12
“This was in the night, when others were asleep, which was an instance both of their prudence and of their zeal. Note, It is good for Christians to have private meetings for prayer, especially in times of distress, and not to let fall nor forsake such assemblies. [5.] Peter came to them when they were thus employed, which was an immediate present answer to their prayer.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
a servant girl named Rhoda came: Rhoda is a Greek name meaning rose. Luke names a household servant girl, and the name suggests she was known to the churches he wrote for. Her quick recognition of the voice marks Peter as a familiar visitor to this house.
Acts 12:13
“At the door of the gate - Rather the door of the vestibule, or principal entrance into the house. The house was entered through such a porch or vestibule, and it was the door opening into this which is here intended. See the notes on Mat 9:2. A damsel - A girl. Came to hearken - To hear who was there. Named Rhoda - This is a Greek name signifying a rose. It was not unusual for the Hebrews to give the names of flowers, etc., to their daughters.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 12:13
“And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, &c. The lesser door in the great gate, or the door of the porch through which they entered into the house. So the Jews distinguish between פתח, "the door", and שער, "the gate"; see Jdg 18:16 where the Septuagint use the same words as here.”
When she recognized Peter’s voice: Rhoda was so overjoyed at Peter's voice that she left him at the gate. Luke records the same mixture at Luke 24:41, where the disciples could hardly believe for joy. Gladness outruns action in both scenes.
Acts 12:14
“And when she knew Peter's voice,.... often heard him preach and converse in the family: she opened not the gate for gladness, filled with joy to hear his voice, and that he was delivered from prison, and in haste to carry the welcome news to the company within, stayed not to open the gate, and let Peter in: but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate: she went into the house in a great hurry, and related to them within, that Peter was at the door without.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 12:14
“She opened not the gate - At this time of night, and in these circumstances, the door would be fastened. Christians were doubtless alarmed by the death of James and the imprisonment of Peter, and they would take all possible precautions for their own safety. For gladness - In her joy she hastened to inform those who were assembled of the safety of Peter.”
Acts 12:15-17
The household tells Rhoda, You are out of your mind, and when she insists they say, It must be his angel. They speak as if a guardian angel might take a person's likeness, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.
Acts 12:15
“They said, Thou art mad - As we say, Sure you are not in your senses to talk so. It is his angel - It was a common opinion among the Jews, that every man had his particular guardian angel, who frequently assumed both his shape and voice.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:15
“Thou art mad - Thou art insane. They seemed to have regarded his rescue as so difficult and so hopeless, that they deemed it proof of derangement that she now affirmed it. And yet this was the very thing for which they had been so earnestly praying. When it was now announced to them that the object of their prayers was granted, they deemed the messenger that announced it insane. Christians are often surprised even when their prayers are answered.”
Acts 12:15
“Though this had been the burden of their fervent prayers during all the days of unleavened bread, they dispute themselves out of it as a thing incredible. Still, it is but the unbelief of the disciples who "believed not for joy and wondered" at the tidings of their Lord's resurrection.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 12:15
“First, "It is a messenger from him, that makes use of his name;" so some take it; angelos often signifies no more than a messenger. It is used of John's messengers ( Luke vii. 24, 27 ), of Christ's, Luke ix.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
But Peter kept on knocking: Peter knocks at the door of the house where the church had knocked at heaven's door for him. Jesus said at Luke 11:9 that the door is opened to the one who knocks. Here the answer to prayer waits outside.
Acts 12:16
“But Peter continued knocking,.... That they might come to him, and let him in; beginning to be impatient, and being very desirous of seeing his friends, as well as being in danger of being taken up, and had to prison again, should any of his enemies come by, who knew him: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished: they could hardly believe their own eyes; it was amazing to them, how it should be, that he should be delivered out of prison, when they knew there was such a strong guard about him.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 12:16
“He knew the town very well, and knew where to find a place that would be a shelter to him. Note, Even the Christian law of self-denial and suffering for Christ has not abrogated and repealed the natural law of self-preservation, and care for our own safety, as far as God gives an opportunity of providing for it by lawful means.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
he left for another place: Luke leaves the other place unnamed, and Peter is next seen in Jerusalem at 15:7. Eusebius, Church History 2.14, places him in Rome under Claudius, a reading Calvin set aside. From here Acts follows Paul.
Acts 12:17
“And he said, Show these things to James - The brother or kinsman of our Lord, and author of the epistle which bears his name. He appears to have been a person of considerable weight and importance, probably the chief overseer of that province, and of the Church in Jerusalem in particular. He went into another place - Where he might be better concealed till the storm was over.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:17
“Go show these things unto James and to the brethren--Whether James the son of Alpheus, one of the Twelve, usually known as "James the Less," and "James the Lord's brother" (Ga 1:19), were the same person; and if not, whether the James here referred to was the former or the latter, critics are singularly divided, and the whole question is one of the most difficult.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 12:17
“But he, beckoning ... - To prevent the noise, and tumult, and transport which was likely to be produced. His wish was, not that there should be clamorous joy, but that they should listen in silence to what God had done. It was sufficient to awe the soul, and produce deep, grateful feeling. A noise might excite the neighboring Jews, and produce danger. Religion is calm and peaceful; and its great scenes and surprising deliverances are rather suited to awe the soul to produce calm, sober, and grateful contemplation, than the noise of rejoicing, and the shoutings of exultation.”
Acts 12:18-19
no small commotion among the soldiers: Herod examined the guards and ordered that they be executed, since Roman custom held guards liable with their lives for a prisoner who escaped. Then he went down to Caesarea, the scene of his death in verses 20 to 23.
ordered that they be executed: Herod's order applies the rule that stands behind the jailer at 16:27, ready to kill himself when he thought his prisoners had fled. It returns at 27:42, where soldiers plan to kill the prisoners on the ship. A guard answered for a prisoner with his life.
Acts 12:19
“Herod commanded them to be put to death - And thus the wicked suffered in the room of the righteous. And going down from Judea - With shame, for not having brought forth Peter, according to his promise.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:19
“He examined the keepers - The soldiers who were entrusted with his custody. Probably only those who had the special care of him at that watch of the night. The word “examine” here means “to inquire diligently, to make investigation.” He subjected them to a rigid scrutiny to ascertain the manner of his escape; for it is evident that Herod did not mean to admit the possibility of a miraculous interposition. Should be put to death - For having failed to keep Peter. This punishment they had a right to expect for having suffered his escape.”
Acts 12:19
“Nebuchadnezzar had been a very bloody man, and a great persecutor; but the word that was in the king's mouth when the judgments of God fell upon him was a proud word: Is not this great Babylon that I have built? It is the glory of God to look on every one that is proud, and bring him low, Job xl.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Herod Takes the Glory and Is Struck Down
Acts 12:20-23
Herod was in a furious dispute: The crowd shouts that this is the voice of a god, not a man. Because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down. Josephus's Antiquities records the same acclamation, a sudden pain and death five days later.
Acts 12:20
“Highly displeased with them of Tyre - On what account Herod was thus displeased is not related by any historian, as far as I have been able to ascertain. Josephus, who speaks of this journey of Herod to Caesarea, says nothing of it; and it is useless for us to conjecture. Having made Blastus - their friend - Blastus was probably a eunuch, and had considerable influence over his master Herod; and, to reach the master, it is likely they bribed the chamberlain.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
On the appointed day: Josephus, Antiquities 19.8.2, sets the appointed day at games held in Caesarea in honour of Caesar. Agrippa died in AD 44, one of the firmest dates in Acts. The chapter's events fall shortly before it.
Acts 12:21
“And upon a set day - An appointed, public day. This was the second day of the sports and games which Herod celebrated in Caesarea in honor of Claudius Caesar. Josephus has given an account of this occurrence, which coincides remarkably with the narrative here.”
The people shout at Herod the honour Peter refused at 10:26 and Paul and Barnabas refuse in 14:14. Herod accepts the voice of a god. Josephus reports the flatterers calling the king more than mortal.
Acts 12:22
“And the people gave a shout - A loud applause. It is the voice of a god ... - It is not probable that the Jews joined in this acclamation, but that it was made by the idolatrous Gentiles. Josephus gives a similar account of their feelings and conduct.”
he was eaten by worms and died: 2 Maccabees 9:9 tells the same end of Antiochus Epiphanes, another king who took the glory due to God. Josephus, Antiquities 17.6.5, describes a like disease in Herod the Great, grandfather of this Herod. The king who killed James died as they died.
Acts 12:23
“And immediately the angel of the Lord - Diseases and death axe in the Scriptures often attributed to an angel. See 2Sa 24:16; 1Ch 21:12, 1Ch 21:15, 1Ch 21:20, 1Ch 21:27; 2Ch 32:21. It is not intended that there was a miracle in this case, but it certainly is intended by the sacred writer that his death was a divine judgment on him for his receiving homage as a god. Josephus says of him that he “did neither rebuke them the people nor reject their impious flattery.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:23
“Because he gave not glory to God - He willingly received it to himself, and by this sacrilege filled up the measure of his iniquities. So then vengeance tarried not. And he was eaten by worms, or vermin - How changed!”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 12:23
“We can point you also to the deaths of some provincial rulers, who in their last hours had painful memories of their sin in persecuting the followers of Christ. Vigellius Saturninus, who first here used the sword against us, lost his eyesight.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · To Scapulapatristic
the word of God continued: But the word of God continued to spread and multiply, one of the summaries of growth that close each section of the book. The king who moved against the church is dead, and the word he tried to silence keeps advancing. The verse is Luke's summary of the whole chapter.
Acts 12:24
“But the word of God grew and multiplied. The number of those who were converted by it, and embraced and professed it, increased; otherwise the word is the same, whether the professors of it be more or fewer; and this it did, notwithstanding the persecution raised against it by Herod whilst he was living; and after his death, it still gained more ground, met with less opposition, and was more freely professed.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:24
“But the word of God - The Christian doctrine preached by the apostles grew and multiplied - became more evident, and had daily accessions; for the spirit of revelation rested on those men, and God was daily adding to that word as circumstances required, in order to complete that testimony of his which we now find contained in the New Testament.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 12:24
“But the word grew, &c.--that is, Not only was the royal representative ignominiously swept from the stage, while his intended victim was spared to the Church, but the cause which he and his Jewish instigators sought to crush was only furthered and glorified. How full of encouragement and consolation is all this to the Christian Church in every age!”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled: Barnabas and Saul return from the famine relief of 11:29 to 30, bringing with them John, also called Mark. His presence prepares for the dispute of 15:37 to 39, when Paul refuses to take him again because he left them in Pamphylia.
Acts 12:25
“Returned from Jerusalem - They had gone to Jerusalem to carry alms, and they now returned to Antioch, Act 11:30. When they had fulfilled their ministry - When they had accomplished the purpose for which they had been sent there; that is, to deposit the alms of the church at Antioch in the hands of the eiders of the churches, Act 11:30. John, whose surname was Mark - See the notes on Act 12:12. From this period the sacred historian records chiefly the labors of Paul.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 12:25
“Saul returned - To Antioch; taking John, surnamed Mark - The son of Mary, (at whose house the disciples met, to pray for Peter,) who was sister to Barnabas.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 12:25
“Mark--(See on Ac 12:12), not to be confounded with the second Evangelist, as is often done. As his uncle was Barnabas, so his spiritual father was Peter (1Pe 5:13).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
How this psalm is built
The form: Narrative of deliverance and judgment, set inside the famine visit of Barnabas and Saul, as Knowling classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The angel of the Lord at both ends | An angel of the Lord appears at verse 7 to free Peter and at verse 23 to strike Herod down, and the word angel stands eight times in the chapter's Berean text. The one messenger joins the rescue and the judgment.The Berean text of Acts 12, counted, The verses table, translation id 3. | Acts 12:7, Acts 12:11, Acts 12:23 |
| The word of God continued to spread | Verse 24 is one of the summary statements Luke sets at the close of a section, with 6:7, 16:5 and 19:20. The site's exposition of the verse reads it as the fourth of the book's growth notes and Luke's seal on the chapter.This site's published exposition of Acts 12:24, The exposition_notes row on Acts 12:24, citing Matthew Henry and J. A. Alexander. | Acts 12:24 |
| Barnabas and Saul before and after | The famine visit of Barnabas and Saul at 11:30 opens a frame and their return at 12:25 closes it, so the account of Herod stands inside their errand. R. J. Knowling reads verse 25 as taking up the narrative of 11:30.R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 1900, on Acts 12:25. | Acts 12:25 |
How this chapter is built
11 more paragraphs on the patterns
The chapter runs in three movements. Verses 1 to 5 set Herod's violence against the church's prayer. Verses 6 to 19 tell the rescue of Peter by night and the search that follows.
Verses 20 to 23 bring Herod to Caesarea and to his death. Verses 24 and 25 close with the growth of the word and the return of Barnabas and Saul.
Where it stands in Acts
Chapter 11 left Barnabas and Saul on their way to Judea with the famine gift at 11:30, and this chapter returns them at verse 25. Inside that frame Luke gives the last account with Peter at the centre of the story until 15:7.
Verse 17 sends word to James, the James who speaks for the Jerusalem church at 15:13 and 21:18. The next chapter hands the story to Antioch and to Paul.
The readings debated
Verse 25 is a known difficulty in the manuscripts, which read either to Jerusalem or from Jerusalem. The Berean joins to Jerusalem with the mission they had fulfilled, which fits 11:30. R. J. Knowling sets out the readings.
The other place of verse 17 is left unnamed. Eusebius, Church History 2.14, places Peter at Rome in the reign of Claudius, and John Calvin set that reading aside.
The household's word at verse 15, that it must be his angel, draws on a belief in guardian angels. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read it as the popular belief of the time, and the site's exposition of verses 15 to 17 follows them.
The reach of the chapter
The arrest at the Feast of Unleavened Bread recalls the arrest of Jesus at the same feast in Luke 22:1. The rescue by an angel of the Lord repeats 5:19. Herod's end, struck for taking the glory due to God, has its likeness in 2 Maccabees 9:9 and in the prince of Tyre who called himself a god at Ezekiel 28:2.
Keep studying
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1706 to 1714, on Acts 12 and R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 1900, on Acts 12:25.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on Acts; Bede, On the Acts of the Apostles; E. H. Plumptre, The Acts of the Apostles, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers; Eusebius; J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Josephus; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, Expositor's Greek Testament and William Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.